Friday Laughs – When Technology gets funny!

Technology – this single word conjures up images of grim looking people, swathed in spotless white lab coats and bent over their workstations, assiduously working up some wonderful invention one after another! But once in a while, the façade is broken to reveal sparks of humor – or still rarer – a roar of laughter!

It is Friday today, just the right day to recount some of the most humorous side-effects of technology. Here is the first one –

1)      iPotty

This could be a great blow for parents who have been ceaselessly toiling in their efforts to train there little one to do the daily business in a peaceful way – or at least remain stationary in the required spot till nature takes care of the job itself!

2)      Clocky

For those who have deduced that this would be a clock, congratulations – you are right. But this is no ordinary clock – consider yourself warned! It is an alarm clock – and if you hit the snooze button a second time, it kicks into action – literally! It will simply run away, hide into a place unknown, and then sound a shrill alarm. What choice do you have, except to get up, find it and shut it up, and by then, you will be very irritated and very awake! And oh, it has a smarter sibling now – imaginatively named Tocky.

3)      Bra-cum-Gas Mask

Its patent application is deliberately innocent sounding – saying the patent is simply for a “garment device convertible to one or more face masks”. In case of a deadly gas attack, for example, the wearer of the said “garment device” can convert it into two gas masks – one for herself, and one for the nearest stunned bystander.

4)      Speech Jammer

A pair of Japanese researchers has come up with this device. It can be used to disrupt speeches – it just records the speech on the fly, and plays it back after a very small delay. To the person inflicting the speech, it will sound like an irritating listener who is repeating everything that he is saying. It is most likely to find use with political activists – who will probably use it at political conventions! 

It's Raining 4K TVs! CES 2013 Highlights

As was widely expected, TVs have dominated the CES 2013 and the overwhelming flavor of the event was 4K or Ultra HD TVs. Before the event, the ultra HD TV universe had just two titans – LG Ultra HD TV model named LG 84LM9600 and Sony 4K UD TV model called XBR 84X900. Now a whole range of 4K TVs have been introduced – almost every major TV manufacturer now has an Ultra HD TV model in its kitty.

Let us look at some of the Ultra HD TVs introduced during the CES 2013 –

LG Ultra HD TV – In addition to its 84 inch giant, has introduced additional Ultra HD TV models in 65 inch and 55 inch screen sizes.

LG 84LM9600 Ultra HD TV

Sony combined the two hottest buzzwords of TV technology – 4K and OLED – by introducing its 4K OLED TV with a screen size of 56 inches, thus claiming the largest OLED screen TV, though only for a few hours, till…

Panasonic also unveiled a 4K OLED TV with a 56 inch screen size. Indeed, Panasonic also unveiled a 20 inch 4K tablet!

Samsung succeeded in playing the one up game with its double salvo – an 85 inch ultra HD TV and a humongous 110 inch ultra HD TV version. The 85 inch UD TV of Samsung is expected to be priced way higher than the 20,000 dollars ballpark of LG Ultra HD TV. As far as the 110 inch model is concerned – there is absolutely no word regarding its features.

Samsung 4K TV

Toshiba is another TV maker that is already shipping 4K TVs to selected markets – and during the CES, it unveiled its extended line that includes screens sizes of 84, 65 and 58 inches.

Other notable mentions – Vizio, TCL, Hisense and Westinghouse. 

Tech Roundup – Remembering the Old, Ushering in the New and some Apple News (As Usual)

Let us start right away – with the latest news first. Just a few hours ago, Google got a major reprieve from the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) – in an anti-climactic culmination of an extensive anti-trust probe. An adverse ruling could have challenged the primacy of Google in the search universe – a leadership position that baiters argue has been used selectively to promote favored products. Apart from conceding very small and technical point (which Google baiters can tout as a small victory), the search giant has effectively come out unscathed. Many observers have warned about the virtual monopoly that Google holds in the search universe, and its likely ill effects for the casual searcher.

Still talking about Google – it took a heartening initiative this week – when it devoted its home page in India to the memory of the Delhi brave heart who succumbed to a unspeakable crime – and lit a simple candle like millions of others – in place of its usually gung-ho Google Doodles.

Recently, an entity that is so favored by people young and old (mostly young!) turned 30 – and it is the Internet! 30 years back, US DoD commissioned ARPANET gave way to the Internet Protocol Suite, and a revolution soon started – although it was not really clear at that moment – except to the most prescient of observers (Steve Jobs and Bill Gates among them).

Everyone knows (or maybe doesn’t!) what happened to Aakash 1 and Aakash 2, but here is some mews regarding Aakash 3 – it will feature a SIM slot, a front facing camera and Linux support. One can just hope that more and more kids get the tablet – and actually use it for studying!

With the recent euphoria surrounding the launch of iPhone 5 and iPad Mini still intact, here is some news that will throw Apple lovers into fresh frenzy – there are already traces of the probable iPhone 6 and iOS7 doing the rounds in app usage logos. In another development, Apple is also expected to launch iPhone Mini – a “lite” version of its much vaunted phone but at a lower price point – primarily for sales in India and China.

Last, but not the least – another piece of heartening news regarding another long awaited product – the LG OLED TV. The much anticipated TV has finally come to the market – with LG starting taking pre-orders from January 3, 2013 in Korea, with deliveries scheduled to start by the next month. 

TV Trends for 2013 – Gazing into the Crystal Ball

In this era of fast changing technology and new gadgets being introduced every day, how exactly is the TV technology and market faring? Is it keeping pace, or is it lagging behind? Let us take a look at the crystal ball, and try to predict what the upcoming year – 2013 holds for the TV technology. Will it surge ahead, or will it lag behind – or worse still – everything will be the same?

Here are the five expected top trends for the TV technology and market in the year. A degree of “creative” latitude has been taken in coming up with these predictions, so you will need to keep that in mind before you bet your bottom dollars on this. Anyway, here goes –

TVs will keep getting Smarter

For some reason, the words Smart TVs evoke mixed reactions among TV enthusiasts – with some even going to the extent of suggesting a slow and painful death for Smart TVs as a whole. However, the TV makers seem to think differently, and they seem to be winning! So, expect your TVs to get “smarter” in 2013 – meaning that you will get more and more Smart TV functions added.

3D will stay in Race

The only thing that provokes more extreme reactions than “Smart TV” is 3D TV – although 3D technology in entertainment has been around for decades now. There seems to be some sort of acceptance barrier for 3D TVs – with a lot of influential content creators (e.g., Christopher Nolan) speaking strongly against it – the reason seems to be rooted in premise that 3D TV watching is uncomfortable. But the successful advent of passive 3D TVs and glassless 3D TVs just around the corner, 3D will definitely make a strong comeback in 2013.

OLED TVs - finally here!

OLED TVs are probably one of the most anticipated TV innovations over the last 2-3 years. Strictly speaking, OLED TVs have been around for some time – but they were very small screens – 11 to 15 inches only. The LG OLED TV (named LG 55EM9700) – with its respectable 55 inch screen - will be a definite game changer in the TV world – and the TV is finally out after a number of false starts. LG has started taking pre-orders from January 03, 2013 and shipments are expected to begin by the start of February, 2013.

4K Ultra HD TVs Will Gain Traction

4K Ultra HD TV is another rising star in the TV world, and its rise will continue in 2013 – and it will definitely consolidate its position. Lack of original 4K content and very high prices are certainly impediments to 4K TV acceptance, but both these problems will be slowly and gradually addressed. In this, LG has another potential winner in its kitty – with its newly introduced LG 84LM9600 4K Ultra HDTV setting the pace and standard that the rest of TV industry to follow.

Further Integration of 4 Screens

The TV industry seems gearing for the eventual 4-screen integration strategy – which entails that the four most-used personal devices viz. smartphones, tablets, PCs and TV will be seamlessly synchronized, so that streaming and sharing of data and multimedia content will be enabled across all the devices.

To conclude, TV will definitely retain its supremacy in the entertainment universe, with further value addition in terms of synchronization and integration with other devices of daily use – PCs and phones, for example. I am also eagerly looking forward to CES 2013, when many new, exciting developments in the TV category could be introduced – although the general buzz at this moment is that only old stuff would be reworked and presented in a different packaging. 

In case you have any interesting observations and predictions, please feel free to comment below - I will be very happy to hear and share your views!

Big Screen TVs – How Much Bigger Will They Get?

In terms of TV screen sizes, the technology has indeed come a long distance. There was a day when a size of 29 inch in the CRT TV was the de rigueur – nay, the gold standard of TV ownership in India. Most people actually managed with still smaller screens – 23 inches or thereabouts.

The charm of a large screen is easy to understand – if you have ever been to a cinema theater. Larger screens make for a more absorbing, immersive watching and entertainment experience.

Sony 4K Ultra HDTV

Somewhere around the late 80s and early 90s, we had the DLP rear projection TVs – which really set the pace in enlarging the screen sizes. Although these became hugely popular with TV aficionados in the west, the idea never really took root in India – mostly because of the costs involved.

Also, with the advent of LCD TVs, the screen sizes started getting bigger. In fact, the advent and popularity of LCD TVs is not the only reason of an increase in average screen size – the introduction of the HD format also played its part. With high definition screens, it actually became possible to increase the screen dimensions without jeopardizing the picture quality.

However, with liberalizing economy, Indian consumers have been exposed to new technology, new products and also acquired willingness to spend with increased buying power. The buying preferences of Indian TV users are also getting aligned to the global trend of bigger screens – even if with some time lag.

LG 84LM9600 Ultra HD TV

As a result, the Indian consumers have recently been a part of the global launches of some of the largest TV screen sizes in the business. First we had the 42 and 47 inch screens, which slowly stretched to 55 inches (such as that of LG LM8600) and 60 inches. Soon, 65 inch screens followed (LG LW6500), closely followed by the biggest screen size available for a long, long time in India – the 72 inch screen of LG LM9500.

The latest in large screen size TVs is certainly an eye opener in every sense – 4K Ultra HD TVs. Recently, two consumer electronic giants introduced huge 84 inch screens in quick succession – LG and Sony. While LG was the first to introduce an 84 inch screen Ultra HD TV – named a LG 84LM9600, Sony followed soon with its own version of 4K TV – Bravia KD-84X9000. Significantly, both the TVs are passive 3D TVs (probably Sony also has a LG made LCD panel) and are priced almost equal – at Rs 17 lakhs.

OLED TVs – Coming Soon (?)

TV aficionados the world over have been waiting with baited breaths over the last couple of years for that one piece of technical innovation that promise quantum jump in TV picture quality – the introduction of OLED TVs. But OLED TVs themselves have been paying hide and seek with TV lovers – with leading TV makers displaying their versions at trade shows – with little word of when it will finally reach the shop shelves.

Myth – OLED TVs are a Concept Product

The current scale and tenor of media coverage has led many people to believe that LED TVs are something entirely new – when this is certainly not the case. Indeed, OLED TVs have been around for some time. So, let me name some of the existing OLED TV models right now -

Sony 11 Inch XEL-1 OLED TV – The first ever OLED TV launched way back in 2007, and produced in very limited numbers.

Sony XEL-1

LG 15 Inch EL9500 OLED TV – LG’ first ever venture into commercial OLED TVs, with a profile that was less than 2mm thick!

LG EL9500 OLED TV

What is stopping OLED TVs?

OLED as a technology has been tamed as such, though scaling it up is proving hugely difficult. The most important problem is – how to make larger sized panels – such as 55 inches successfully and economically as well. The mortality rate of OLED panels – even while producing them – is extremely high – and barely 10% of the OLED panels produced fulfill the quality control criteria – or even work. With some repair work and modifications, another 20% can be resurrected – but that still leads to a very high – and unacceptable – mortality rate of 70%. The economics are coming in the way of technology – as far as OLED panels are concerned.

OLED TV Makers – Who is in the Fray?

What started as a bang has turned into a whimper. After the initial brouhaha over OLED TVs, Sony had chosen to withdraw from the race – only to come back later in collaboration with Panasonic in an effort to make viable OLED TVs – and those efforts still continue.

That leaves the field wide open to LG and Samsung – both the companies are trying hard to reach the market as soon as possible – all the while trying to beat one another. Both have chosen slightly different OLED technologies for their panels.

The twist in the tail, however, comes from something that has turned into the bane of technology world over the last year – lawsuits. LG and Samsung are embroiled in a bitter web of suits regarding the OLED technology.

LG OLED TV – Almost There!

Of all the TV makers, LG has perhaps been the most active and apparently successful in taming the OLED technology and applying it to large sized panels. After much anticipation LG officials have recently declared their intent to offer LG OLED TVs for sale in Korea – with the rest of the markets expected to follow suit in quick succession. 

Two Videos One Screen – Is it Possible?

The short answer is – YES! If you want to know how it happens, then read on!

It is one of the most abiding of the contemporary childhood fantasies – particularly for kids with siblings – if only the TV could show two pictures at the same time – and each screen visible to only those who want it. So, while I can watch the T20 cricket match between India and Australia, my brother can watch the latest episode of Dexter – or so was the idea. Now, this idea has become a reality, and it is not before long that it is widely adopted in the consumer versions of the TV.

Samsung has probably introduced the most advanced version of the is technology – two picture simultaneously on the same screen – at a curiously low key preview of Samsung OLED TV at the IFA 2012 in Berlin (probably the news got buried in the excitement over the LG OLED TV – which was also presented at the show!). The issue of different audios for different videos is managed through sleek headphones – which also have buttons that can be used to toggle between either for the two videos and their audio feeds.

(Source: The Verge)

The Samsung two-videos-on-the-same-screen technology has been tentatively named as Multi View – and is decidedly more advanced that the other two similar technologies present at the moment – SimulView on Sony PS Display, and the Dual Play feature on LG 3D TVs. Incidentally, both SimulView and Dual Play are gaming oriented features.

Another common fact between SimulView and Dual Play is that they are based on the way 3D technology works in active and passive 3D TVs – SimulView an active 3D dependent feature, while Dual Play utilizes the passive 3D TV technology.

Of the two, I view SimulView as rather more restricted – for the simple reason that it is available on only Sony PS monitors – with a much focused user group.

On the other hand, The Dual Play feature is available on a large number of passive 3D TV models from LG – and is likely to enjoy a wider user base.